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Las Vegas Gunman May Have Cased Other Locations For Shooting; Gunman Intended To Survive Attack; Dozens Of Shooting Victims Remain Hospitalized; Trump Plans To Decertify Iran Nuclear Deal; Trump Calls Dinner With Military "Calm Before The Storm"; Trump Reacts to Report Tillerson Called Him a "Moron"; Puerto Rico Divided on Trump's Visit to Island. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired October 06, 2017 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.
ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead this hour, authorities reveal Las Vegas shooter, Stephen Paddock, booked rooms near other music festivals. Did he have plans for other concerts?
VAUSE: Heroism in Las Vegas; hear from the wounded firefighter who continued to help others.
SESAY: Also, President Trump's puzzling comments surrounded by military leaders, he talked about the calm before the storm, we'll try to figure out what that means.
VAUSE: Hello, everybody, great to have you with us. I'm John Vause.
SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay. This is NEWSROOM L.A. Well, authorities are learning more about the Las Vegas gunman's plans, including what Stephen Paddock may have planned to do next.
VAUSE: We're also getting new details about Paddock and his attempts to scout on other locations before Sunday's massacre. Brian Todd has the latest on the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAME: Go, run, keep your head down. Go!
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police believe that gunman, Stephen Paddock, not only had an elaborate plan to carry out mas carnage, he also had a plan to try to escape. Investigators now say they have a clearer timeline of just what happened Sunday night. The shooting began three minutes earlier than thought, at 10:05 p.m. and lasted for ten terrifying minutes. This newly released video shows victims fleeing along Las Vegas Boulevard still in the line of fire. 32 stories up at 10:17 p.m., the first police officers one the scene arrived in a hallway like this one, and find security guard, Jesus Campos, shot in the leg. Police say, it's this first interaction that suggests Paddock was not planning to die in his suite.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you see any evidence that he planned to survive this or try to escape?
JOE LOMBARDO, SHERIFF, CLARK COUNTY: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you tell us where is that?
LOMBARDO: I can't tell you.
TODD: Police now say, Paddock had barricaded the stairwell next to his door -- similar to this one -- and had set up an elaborate system to monitor the hallway, including more cameras than first thought. Two on this cart, one in the door's peephole, and another inside the room. They say, when he saw Campos on a screen, he unloaded more than 200 bullets, some through the door into the hallway.
LOMBARDO: I believe, because of his countermeasures placed in the peephole and in the hallway, he observed the security guard, and he was in fear that he was about to be breached.
TODD: At that point, police say, Paddock stops firing on the crowd. The sheriff believes he has turned his focus from killing to getting away.
LOMBARDO: So, he was doing everything possible to figure out how he could escape at that point. His concern was personal's concern versus what was occurring down below him.
TODD: Paddock's car was stocked with 1600 more bullets and 50 pounds of Tannerite -- a chemical compound that could've caused a large explosion.
JOHN SHEEHAN, FORMER OFFICER, SWAT LAS VEGAS: There are one or three ways it's going to end for an active shooter, and they pretty much all know this.
TODD: From a room, two floors above, and just down the hall from the shooter's, former Las Vegas SWAT Officer, John Sheehan, told us he doubts Paddock could've gotten away.
SHEEHAN: You either going to commit suicide, you're going to die in hit with gunfire with the police, you're going to shoot it out with them and you're going to be killed, or you're going to continue on a preplanned rampage at locations. B, C, D, E, until the police finally stop you.
TODD: So, you don't believe escape meant escape for good just to --
SHEEHAN: Brian, how could it -- how could? Because he rented the room in his own name out, he's already on video coming in and out, we know who he is, he's going to be the most wanted man in the world if he does try to leave here.
TODD: Sheehan describes the gunman set up as well defended and carefully planned with a commanding view over the concert venue he targeted across the street. His deadly preparations, all visible in these crime scene photos leaked to The Daily Mail, which combined to show a panorama of rifles with bump stocks, stand, scopes, and stacks of ammunition. And authorities say, the suite was not the only room Paddock booked. Just a week earlier, Paddock rented a room at the (INAUDIBLE) Condominium overlooking a music festival featuring Lorde, and Chance, the rapper.
LOMBARDO: Was he doing pre-surveillance? We don't know yet.
TODD: A Chicago hotel overlooking the Lollapalooza concert also says in August, someone named Stephen Paddock reserved a room during the festival, although he never checked in. A spokeswoman for that hotel in Chicago says, it's not clear if the person who reserved that room is the same Stephen Paddock as the Las Vegas gunman, and she says she has no information regarding a request for a specific view. But she says they are cooperating closely with investigators here in Las Vegas. Brian Todd, CNN, Las Vegas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Well, with us now, CNN Law Enforcement Contributor and retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent, Steve Moore. Steve, thank you as always for being with us. If Stephen Paddock did indeed scout other locations that whether venues for a music festival, does it mean that, in effect, that he was just looking for a crowded space? Really, there wasn't anything specific to Vegas that he was targeting, what does that say to you?
[01:05:11] STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR AND RETIRED SUPERVISORY SPECIAL AGENT FOR THE FBI: I think he was looking for a high body count and he had scoped out the fact that, hey, at these standup concerts, people are just -- they can't even run away. They are just sardines in a can. And so, I think he had decided on the mode, or the victim of his attack, a concert, but he was probably conflicted or scared about which one he wanted to hit. And if I were to guess, I would say that he -- each time he rented a room, like in Chicago or -- if that turns out to be the case, or in Vegas, he probably was intending to do this. And the fact that he had explosives in the car this time, means that he still left himself an out if he -- if he wanted to give up and try a different concert.
SESAY: So, you're saying that the explosives point to a bigger plan or changing course?
MOORE: I think based on the people I've come in contact with, who were mass shooters and mass violent people, they tend to have three or four things that they're considering: I might do this, I might blow -- so, they get all these things, they get their stuff, and they get their gun stuff, and sometimes they don't choose. I talked to one guy, he said, I didn't even know the gun I was going to use until I walked into the school.
SESAY: Wow! And the escape, there's a lot of talk about him planning to escape, why that?
MOORE: I don't believe it. No, I do.
SESAY: Why? MOORE: Because, first of all, as we were discussing earlier, he's clearly identified. Everybody in that hotel knew him as far as the bellman, the people at the desks, he's a high roller who got comped there. People know him. So, he's not going to get away. He's not going to -- he's going to be identified. But as far as getting away, he had already barricaded the staircase, does he think he's going to go press an elevator button? He was intelligent enough to know that escape was not an option.
I believe what he was doing is -- he may have had an escape plan that he worked on a little bit but realized the type of attack he was going to do really obviated any possibility of escape. And I think he fired for ten minutes, and then he took the rest of his ammunition, and set up and waited for the police because his other attack that I think he was planning was to kill a dozen or two policemen as they came through the door.
SESAY: That's what you think he was planning to do. Andrew McCabe was -- the FBI Deputy Director has basically expressed something of -- I guess he sounds flummoxed. He said, you know, his specific words that "it's a surprise that there's no clear motive here," that they haven't been able to find any prints, thumbprints, any access to what this man was thinking, ideology motive. Are you surprised by that? I mean, is there a chance we may never know why this guy did this?
MOORE: I think there's a chance we may never know, but I don't believe that's going to be the case. And I understand Director McCabe's frustration, but people who've been in the field and worked in, and I'm sure has too, realized that in this situation, all it means is that the true motive was buried deeper. He still has the same motive. He has the -- the motive was intense, he was willing to die for whatever his motive was. So, it's not a small motive. And so, we are -- we haven't found it not because it doesn't exist, but because it's buried farther than we're used to.
SESAY: But can you -- is there a chance that you might be able to reach it to keep that analogy going?
MOORE: I don't believe that for a minute because there's too much leakage. When we get onto his electronic signature, we're going to find out websites he's been going to. I think there's going to be some, some incredible revelations in the next few weeks. Could be wrong, but that's where my blink is.
SESAY: All right. Steve Moore, always appreciate it. Thank you. Let's see what happen. Thank you. Well, one Las Vegas hospital is caring for 45 victims of Sunday night's brutal attack. Nearly half of those patients are in critical condition. For their families, the wait for the good news is just agonizing.
VAUSE: Scott McClain and one family maintaining a bedside vigil for their daughter who's been in coma since Sunday. When she regains consciousness the challenges ahead are amiss.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY MORELAND, MOTHER OF TINA FROST: She has he whole life in front of her and with one incident, we have a nightmare.
SCOTT MCCLAIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For Mary Moreland, the Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas has been a dark place. Sunday night, her 27- year-old daughter, Tina Frost, was at the route 91 harvest festival with friends and her boyfriend, Austin, when bullets started flying. Tina was shot near her eye. She's been in a coma since that night.
MORELAND: It's very hard when I first saw her. It was all I could do to keep composed. But she's a fighter, and it doesn't matter what she looks like, it matters in here. So, we're coping.
[01:10:11] MCCLAIN: In the chaotic aftermath, an unidentified concertgoing, Moreland, knowns only as Shane helped Austin carry her into the back of a pickup truck that took her to the hospital. What do you want to say him?
MORELAND: Thank you for saving my daughter's life.
MCCLAIN: Frost lost her eye, Moreland says. And there are still bullet fragments in her head.
DR. KEITH BLUM, NEUROSURGEON, SUNRISE HOSPITAL: Unfortunately, some people may not ever recover, but in some of other people, you know, I would say that, you know, give it a year.
MCCLAIN: Originally from Maryland, Frost now works as an accountant in San Diego. Her sister says she had it all.
RACHEL MORELAND, SISTER OF TINA FROST: Even growing up, I mean, I kind of use the phrase she's a little bit of an all-American girl. You know, she just always has a ton of friends, did well on the soccer field, played college soccer, you know, moved to California as an accountant. I mean, she has a very good life.
MCCLAIN: As Frost's family prays for good news, they're not alone. A Go Fund Me page has already raised more than $390,000, more than seven times the original goal.
MORELAND: I'd throw it all away. It's overwhelming.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Scott McClain reporting there. I'm joined by Alexander Jones, who was at the concert with a group of on Sunday. Alex, thanks for coming in. You went down to Vegas, this your first time at this music festival, this harvest festival, right?
ALEXANDER JONES, SURVIVOR OF THE MASS SHOOTING IN LAS VEGAS: Yes.
VAUSE: So, it was great. Everything was -- you're having a great time, and then suddenly?
JONES: We just heard the shots, thought it was fireworks. I thought it was a helicopter, and once we've realized people and screaming, I heard someone say, "he's got a gun." I grabbed my friend as fast I could and we ran the other direction. VAUSE: Do you remember what you were thinking?
JONES: The only thing I was thinking was, get inside, get somewhere else, just run. Other than that, I was -- I think I was trying to tune everyone out, make sure my friends were running with me, and we're safe. And I just kept saying get inside, get inside, and I want to call my mom and I want to call my dad.
VAUSE: When you actually -- I wanted to ask you this -- to all the people who are at the concert and survived this and managed to get out because you're incredibly poised, you're very easing and calm. You've got everything sorts of -- you know, are still in -- are you suffering shock right now? Are you worried about, you know, there are still some a lot of emotional turmoil to come?
JONES: I think so. I really think the shock hasn't completely ebbed. You know, I'm surrounded by such fantastic people that are just checking in on me, have been checking on me since Sunday -- Monday, actually, and, you know, let me know like, hey, you can talk to us or I know where I get and talk to professionals if need be. So, that's I think what's kind of keeping me calm knowing I have those options. But yes, I'm still in a little bit of shock.
VAUSE: When you made that phone call to your dad?
JONES: Yes.
VAUSE: What did you say and how did he react?
JONES: I was crying. He couldn't completely understand what I was saying because service was going in and out. We were in a hotel. Everyone was trying to call someone.
VAUSE: In someone's hotel room in just a (INAUDIBLE), right?
JONES: We were in the hotel room, just yet we were in the lobby, there was a Pizza Hut open that I just walked into trying to get some service. I was crying, screaming, trying to get my dad to listen to me. And then, all he heard was, gun, shooter, and it was like --
VAUSE: He'd seen the news; did he know what had happened?
JONES: I don't think he realized it because --
VAUSE: It was still pretty early; the extent that this happened sort of come out for a few hours after, right?
JONES: No. I think it was maybe about 15 minutes after the first initial shots we heard after we started making our way outside. And that was when I called and he -- to my knowledge, he had no idea at this point, but the next words out of his mouth were, do you want me to come get you? And I said yes.
VAUSE: That's what dads are for.
JONES: Yes. VAUSE: And you know, the investigators are now saying that this
gunman may have considered other targets, possibly, you know, concert in Chicago, maybe another venue there in Las Vegas. No reason why he chose the Harvest Festival. Is it important for you to find out why he targeted your concert? Would knowing why, the reason, will that make it a little easier in any way? I think it will, but I'm -- a little part of me knows that, of course, we're never going to know the full story. So, I've learned to accept that, but knowing a little bit more would be definitely beneficial to my sanity, and I'm assuming a majority of those who survived. Of course, they want to know, families want to know why happened.
[01:15:11] VAUSE: When you think back to Sunday night, is there one moment which stands out for better or for worse?
JONES: I think the biggest moment that stood out to me was, as I was running and pulling my friend behind me, she's crying, and I'm just trying to make sure that we get to safety. And the biggest thing that happened was this wonderful, wonderful man who looked at us and said sweethearts, come on, I'm going to push you over this fence. And he got us over the fence, and we just kept running towards the -- that was how we were able to get to safety. And luckily, I saw him in the hotel later, so I know that he's OK. But I just, you know, I want to thank him, really.
VAUSE: Absolutely. I mean, there are so many stories like that. It's just everyone, do whatever they can to help everybody else. That's the amazing part about this story. Clearly, the loss of life is the devastating part. But, you know, let's focus on the good.
JONES: Exactly.
VAUSE: Alex, good to see you. Thanks for coming in.
JONES: Thank you so much for having me.
SESAY: We are pleased you are OK.
VAUSE: Yes.
SESAY: Next on NEWSROOM L.A., President Trump is not a fan of the Iran nuclear deal. Now, we know what he plans to do about it. We'll explain what lies ahead.
VAUSE: And the consequences of the simmering tensions between the U.S. president and his secretary of state, go way beyond name calling and ego, details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Well, the U.S president is about to force Congress to decide the fate of the Iran nuclear deal.
SESAY: The president has been highly critical of the Obama-era agreement. But rather than scrap it out, right, U.S. officials say the president plans to decertify the deal sometime next week. VAUSE: Of that happens, Congress has 60 days to make a decision about
all of this, which could include re-imposing sanctions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We must not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. The Iranian regime supports terrorism and exports violence, bloodshed, and chaos across the Middle East. That is why we must put an end to Iran's continued aggression and nuclear ambitions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Well, joining us now, our Political Analyst, Peter Matthews, Professor of Political Science at Cypress College. Peter, thanks for coming back.
PETER MATTHEWS, POLITICAL ANALYST AND PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, CYPRESS COLLEGE: My pleasure.
VAUSE: OK. So, if the president does go ahead and decertify this deal against the wishes of so many other countries around the world, and depending on (INAUDIBLE), but essentially, it could lead to a situation where there's another nuclear standoff which the U.S. has to do with much like North Korea, which sort of makes this comment we're about to hear that he said a couple of hours ago while meeting the military leaders in the White House, even more, unsettling. This is what the president said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[01:20:04] TRUMP: You guys know what this represents? Well, maybe it's the calm before the storm. Could be the calm before the storm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On ISIS?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What storm Mr. President?
TRUMP: We have the world's great military people in this room, I will tell you that. And we're going to have a great evening. Thank you all for coming.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What storm Mr. President?
TRUMP: You'll find out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK. First of all, what's he talking about? Do we have any idea, and why do this? This just seems to be sort of rushing up the tension and anxieties to a very cryptic, completely unnecessary.
MATTHEWS: Great uncertainty brings up a lot of uncertainty. So, cryptic and this is the worst thing you can have, and a simple situation can turn into a crisis. And I don't know why he's doing it, except that maybe he thinks that's the way to go, and that to scare the heck out of Iran. But look, the P-5 plus one country all got together and negotiated for many years, and everyone is satisfied with it. Iran actually was -- has kept from having a nuclear weapon for at least 15 years down the line. They gave up a lot of things, and we should just go with that agreement. And that agreement, use that as a model for North Korea instead.
SESAY: And to that point, in terms of North Korea, him decertifying the Iran nuclear deal and possibly imposing sanctions, and the fallout of that certainly weakens any attempt to get North Korea to the table. I mean, their point would be, why bother negotiating, why bother to get a deal if you're going to just, you know, negate it down the line?
MATTHEWS: They're looking very closely at the president in North and Iran because they're saying if we don't hold on to our agreement with Iran, how can they even trust us to even hold to an agreement they may reach with us? So, it's really destabilizing all the way across. And there's something else here and that is the NPT, the Nuclear Non- proliferation Treaty of 1970, it actually requires the five nuclear states that had nuclear weapons at the time to set a timetable and a plan for eventually dismantling international safeguards -- its article six of the NPT. So, there's been some movement in that direction, otherwise, other countries are going to want to get the nuclear weapons to defend themselves in case they get regime change. That's what North Korea was concerned about over the years, you know, with the Iraq, and then destabilize Libya -- what happened to Libya (INAUDIBLE)?
VAUSE: And the point is, this isn't a deal just between Iran -- and you've made this point -- and the United States. This is the end of the --
MATTHEWS: Multilateral.
VAUSE: Yes. And in a way, if the U.S. does pull out of this agreement, isn't it the United States which will be left isolated, not Iran?
MATTHEWS: Absolutely. It could be perceived that we're breaking international law, in a sense. Because of the United Nations (INAUDIBLE). IAEA is inspecting Iran right now. It's agreed by the United Nations, that should go forward, and the U.S. is the nation that's breaking out of the whole world cooperation.
SESAY: And the president has taken to say, they're not living up to the spirit of the agreement.
VAUSE: (INAUDIBLE)
SESAY: Yes, exactly. That's why he's now using, as I guess, the workaround to have them justify -- to justify this. But what is the fallout for the United States? I mean, you say, they'd be isolated, but what is the real cost from that if internationally speaking?
MATTHEWS: Congress on the block, they up until six months to certify whether to bring the sanctions back, and then everything starts unraveling again, and this is a great instability with Iran and that situation with North Korea also there. And the president's being very unpredictable, and that's the worst thing you could have in these kinds of situation. The fallout will be tremendous for the United States and for the rest of the world, especially. And that's why people are really concerned about he's talking off the cuff like that. And cryptic, a cryptic statement.
VAUSE: Very cryptic. It's classic Trump in a way, but, as they say, it's very unsettling.
MATTHEWS: It's the first time we've ever had this kind of, actually, words.
VAUSE: Well, the president's also looking at gun control in the wake of the massacre in Las Vegas. He's indicated a willingness, at the very least, he's talking about these things called the bump stocks, the device which modifies semiautomatic weapons so they shoot like an automatic weapon. This is what the president said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: We'll be, we'll be looking into that over the next short period of time. We'll be looking in -- we'll be looking into that over the next short period of time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You know, again, no details from the president as to what he actually plans to do. Because some in Congress were saying, you know, the president needs to take a leadership role here if there is to be any meaningful gun reform to make its way through and make it to legislation.
MATTHEWS: And it's such a small, it's an important step to maybe ban the bump stocks completely. And yet it's a significant step because it's seen in that direction, and the NRA's concerned about that too. They're saying now, we'll see we can work out some kind of regulation. They're being very, you know, they want the agency to do that rather than Congress. So, they're playing it very, very cloyed because they don't want to really have any real gun regulation, and the president is looking at his base once again. Many of his voters in the rural areas are big gun owners and they are NRA supporters. But this action, what happened in Las Vegas folks is just unbelievable for everyone some of the leading people were for, are against gun control, some of the stars in country music and all against gun control, they've changed their minds and said until what happened.
VAUSE: A few.
MATTHEW: A few have, actually, but still.
[01:25:04] SESAY: You know, President Trump before he became a politician is known for being pro-gun control of some sort or other. He even has some lines of it in his book, you know, he's been quoted. There's reporting that Democrats are looking to use his words against him to force his hand, or is it kind of like push him along. Is that a foolhardy strategy? MATTHEWS: I was thinking Pope to force him.
SESAY: Yes, exactly.
MATTHEWS: And Trump isn't going to get forced by anyone. You know, he gets the what, this doesn't --
SESAY: The past is not going to shame, so to speak, his action.
MATTHEWS: No, I don't think so. I'm not sure about the shame even working or anything like that. And it's just sad that Democrats are actually thinking and holding on to that hope. They should take -- start taking action, going to the American people and saying, look, Congress has to act to do much more than just ban the bump stocks. There's much more to be done. The background checks, people can buy guns at these shows so easily, those things have to be really changed.
VAUSE: The NRA is supporting regulation on bump stocks and also calling for Congress to allow, you know, the right to carry --
SESAY: Yes, that's right.
VAUSE: Open carry.
SESAY: They can carry across stateliness.
VAUSE: That's sort of a payoff, which is, you know. Let's move on to the president calling for an investigation to fake news. Many see that as an attempt to cover to go out as a sense of news coverage of the president. You know, the president doesn't like the unflattering news coverage, which seems to be most of the coverage of the president these days.
According to Reuters, more than 14,000 people were -- they were asked if they had a great deal of confidence or some confidence in the press: 48 percent said yes, that's up from 39 percent last November, that's when the president said the press was the enemy of the people. And then, look at when they're asked a very similar question about the president -- where are we? They -- in September, their great deal or some confidence in the Trump administration: 48 percent, that's down three percent from May. So, Peter, you know, Americans may not like the media, that's pretty obvious, but it seems, when it comes to the battle for trust, the media is winning out over the president.
MATTHEWS: Because the American people are starting to see the facts, they're starting to see what's on the ground, what's actually happening. And I think Thomas Jefferson's statement: "I know of no safer repository of power than the people themselves." If on occasion, the people take the wrong decision, we shouldn't take power away from the people, but educate them to the right decision. And that's what's been happening in the last few months, they're getting educated on who's really telling the truth and then coming to the right conclusions, that's what I see.
SESAY: But Trump doesn't care about, at least it would appear that his message isn't for the general populous, it is again for the base. That this messaging is purely for them.
VAUSE: Purely for his base.
SESAY: So, the fact that his numbers are going down, so to speak, doesn't change his narrative.
MATTHEWS: That's the only hope he has to even possibly win re- election, is that comes out and they suppress the other voters from coming out. That's the only way he can win. It's very unlikely he's going to win again.
VAUSE: We had this fake news allegation this week. The thing that's just so disturbing about, is that comes from a president, including the Washington Post fact check blog, has said a misstatement. On average, almost five misstatements every day since he was inaugurated.
MATTHEWS: I saw that report, it's actually true. And some of the worst ones, one of them was that he says we're the highest taxed country in the whole world. Whereas the OECD countries are taxed at 34 percent or taxed at 26 percent. You know, there are many other misstatements.
VAUSE: are the facts are just sort of --
MATTHEWS: He's not a fact-based person, you know. Not detail- oriented, right.
VAUSE: OK.
SESAY: Thank you.
MATTHEWS: Thank you.
VAUSE: OK. We will take a short break. When we come back here, a very tough choice: having to choose between saving your own life and your loved ones. We'll tell you how one family escaped the Las Vegas massacre and were then reunited.
[01:28:31] SESAY: Plus, Puerto Rican tradition says, Donald Trump could be memorialized in the form of a statue. But residents point to his recent trip, and they say not so fast.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SESAY: Hello, everyone. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.
VAUSE: And I'm John Vause.
We'll check the headlines this hour.
(HEADLINES)
SESAY: The massacre in Las Vegas tore apart so many families, and the Fowler thought, it might happen to them, too.
CNN's Anderson Cooper has that family's incredible story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, A.C. 360: How are you feeling?
CURT FOWLER, SHOOTING VICTIM: I'm actually doing pretty well under the circumstances. I'd have to say that I'm doing really well because I've en raised up by all the outpouring of my firefighter family.
COOPER (voice-over): Curt Fowler is lucky to be alive. He's a firefighter from Nevada. He was at the concert on Sunday night with his wife, Trina, and brother-in-law, Travis, and other family members and friends.
(GUNFIRE)
COOPER: When the firing started, Curt jumped on Trina, shielding her with his body. That's when he got hit.
CURT FOWLER, SHOOTING VICTIM: I got shot. I told my wife, I've been hit and we have to go. You have to go. You have to run, run. You have to get all the way out of here. And then I'll do what I have to do. It's really hard for her to leave me, but we have three kids, and someone has to make sure they get out, all the way out. So I'm sure it was hard for her to leave me and anybody else behind.
COOPER (on camera): It's an impossible choice to have to make.
FOWLER: Yes.
TRINA FOWLER, WIFE OF CURT FOWLER: I knew if he wasn't going to make it, because I didn't know, that my kids needed a parent.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: That's what went through your mind?
TRINA FOWLER: That is exactly what went through -- my only focus was my kids. It was all I could think about. I mean, when I got to that truck, I just -- I felt I made it. I made it. My kids are going to have me. And I was just thinking about him and I didn't have phone, and I was separated for what seemed like eternity.
COOPER: Curt's whole family got separated during the chaos and Curt found himself alone with a gunshot wound to his leg.
After we got Trina and the women got under way, I -- again, bodies everywhere. I made my way over bodies. When I stood up, my foot was gone. Tibia and fibula was shattered. I had to hop and crawl over of people that were either too frightened to move or had already passed on. And I had to go over them, because at that point, I have to go to save my life.
COOPER: You're losing blood.
FOWLER: I have to go and save my life. So I made it under the sound stage and immediately got somebody, a Good Samaritan, to take off his shirt to explain to him we had to make a tourniquet, tourniquet my leg to stop the bleeding.
COOPER: You had the presence of mind to give instructions?
FOWLER: Absolutely. That training kicks in. And I try to explain to everybody that they need to quiet and calm down, so we could hear what's going on.
COOPER (voice-over): Trina's brother, Travis, was helping the wounded elsewhere. There were no ambulances to be found, so he was loading the injured onto pickup trucks to go to the hospital. He had no idea his brother-in-law Curt had been shot.
(on camera): How did you find him?
[01:35:12] TRAVIS HICKSON (ph), CURT'S BROTHER-IN-LAW: I look up and I see Curt in the back of the truck.
COOPER: No kidding? You had no idea that that's the truck?
HICKSON (ph): No. And I just- he looked calm. I didn't know he was shot. I thought, he's a firefighter, this is a makeshift ambulance. Like he's taking everybody to the hospital and we're going to help. And I just ran over and gave him a hug, real quick, and said I've got to go. He said, you're doing good. And I ran back out and we loaded someone else up onto a white truck and went right behind the truck he was on.
COOPER: Did you think about the danger?
HICKSON (ph): When that stuff happens, you don't. I told everyone, get your family and everyone close to you to safety. And then you start thinking about everybody else. I mean, you see everybody on the ground that's been shot, and your senses just kick in that you have to get them to safety. You don't think about it. It's just what you do. We saved as many as we could. It's tough, but I'm telling you, the amount of goodness that you saw in people, that's America, you know. That's true Americans going in and doing whatever you could.
COOPER (voice-over): Curt's hospital room is filled with family and friends. Matt Farris, a former firefighter, brought his guitar to play music.
(SINGING)
COOPER: The road ahead is long. But Curt and Trina's three kids are close by their side. They have each other. Survivors of a tragedy that almost tore them apart.
(SINGING)
COOPER: Anderson Cooper, CNN, Las Vegas.
(SINGING)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESAY: Anderson will host a special honoring all the victims of the Las Vega massacre. It airs commercial free on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. in Hong Kong, 5:00 p.m. in Abi Dhabi.
VAUSE: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence praised the disaster relief in Puerto Rico. He was at a disaster relief center, helping Puerto Ricans who are displaced after Hurricane Maria two weeks ago. Pence also traveled to the U.S. Virgin Islands and met with officials and also took an aerial tour of the damage.
SESAY: Puerto Rico is still struggling to recover after Maria's wrath. Only 9 percent of the island's customers have electricity.
U.S. President Trump toured the storm-ravaged island earlier this week, and some locals found his visit less than inspiring.
VAUSE: Some actually wanted to get the people together, but that could be easier said than done.
CNN's Nick Valencia explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC VALENICA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): This was President Trump during part of his visit to Puerto Rico. Tossing out paper towels to a crowd desperate for resources.
Many on the island were not only offended by what he did but also what he said.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now, I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you've thrown our budget a little out of whack, because we've spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico, and that's fine. We've saved a lot of lives.
VALENCIA: It was a moment the people of Puerto Rico would soon say they would rather forget. But if tradition continues, it's likely they'll have a constant reminder.
(SINGING)
VALENCIA: Here in front of Puerto Rico's capital building stands the walkway of presidents. Nine statues in all of every sitting president to visit the land since 1906.
(on camera): This walkway has become a recent part of Puerto Rican tradition. This marker tells us why. It's for presidents whose human side seems to beckon to come closer together. But after his controversial trip here, many wonder if that tradition should continue for President Donald Trump.
Shame on you, Mr. President.
VALENCIA: Jay Konseca (ph) is a popular independent political commentator in Puerto Rico. If it was up to him, he says, President Trump wouldn't get a statue of his own. He doesn't deserve it.
JAY KONSECA (ph), INDEPENDENT POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: We appreciate American people, but what the president did, we hate that. It was shameful, and we're always going to point that out.
VALENCIA: It was former Democratic Puerto Rican Senator Kenneth McClintock's idea to commemorate presidential visits to the island. He says nothing should change for President Trump.
KENNETH MCCLINTOCK, (D), FORMER PUERTO RICAN SENATOR: You can always find reasons not to do something, but in this case, I think it would be discriminatory if you take the flaws of one president to not put up the statue when you have not taken into account the flaws of other presidents.
VALENCIA: To his credit, President Trump was the only sitting president to visit the island after a disaster. But that's still not enough for those we spoke to, like this local resident who is just seeing the video of the president tossing out paper towels to the people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How someone that does this could deserve a plate or a statue being here. He doesn't even deserve to be here.
VALENCIA (on camera): Do you think the statue here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
VALENCIA: He says, "No, absolutely not. The president is not very well received. He is not very well respected."
(voice-over): And so even while the president ran the risk of appearing to not care about the feelings of those affected during his visit, it's because of his trip that the island will likely remember him forever.
(CHEERING)
VALENCIA: Nick Valencia, CNN, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:40:18] VAUSE: Well, next here on NEWSROOM L.A., the moral insult heard all around the world and now it's out in public. Could the secretary of state be facing a Rex-it from the administration?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: A growing rift between the U.S. president and his secretary of state has been a gift for the comedians of late-night television in the U.S., especially the part about Rex Tillerson calling his boss a moron.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, THE LATE SHOW: Trump felt totally vindicated, tweeting, "The NBC News story has just been totally refuted by Secretary Tillerson and V.P. Pence. It is #fakenews. They should issue an apology to America."
I agree with the president. NBC News does owe us an apology, because apparently, Tillerson didn't call our president a moron. He called him a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) moron.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Well, amid the "did he or didn't he call Trump a moron debate," there is a much bigger issue. As the distance grows between the secretary of state and the president, it seems Tillerson's influence and authority around the word is diminished.
For more, former White House communications director and State Department spokesperson, CNN contributor, Jen Psaki, joins us now.
Jen, good to see you.
JEN PSAKI, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Great to be here.
VAUSE: Explain why there needs to be no daylight between any secretary of state and the president.
PSAKI: Well, the secretary of state, no matter who you are, is only as powerful overseas as their proximity to the president or how that's seen. They're really the representative of the president in foreign capitals and in meetings with foreign ministers and presidents and prime minister. If you're a president or a prime minister or a leader of a foreign country, what you really want is to get to the decision maker, and the decision make still is the president of the United States. So now many people are questioning, what role does Tillerson have, how long will he there? What power does he have? Trump is hurting himself and he's hurting Tillerson.
VAUSE: So specifically, last weekend, it became pretty obvious the secretary of state doesn't really speak for the president when Donald Trump tweeted this: "I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful secretary of state, that he's wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man. Save your energy, Rex. We'll do what has to be done."
Clearly, this was all about North Korea, but what impact does that have not just on Tillerson, but how does that go with countries like North Korea, China and Russia?
[01:45:02] PSAKI: We used to be the sane actors in the room, often leading the agenda, the United States did, at G-20s, at international forums. Now we've taken a back seat. Trump has removed us from the table on a number of issues, whether it's Iran or climate change. Also, many people in Europe and Asia are questioning vocally whether the United States is the indispensable power it once was. I think what people fear here in Washington and in the foreign policy communities is that is something that's going to take not just the next three years to overcome, but maybe quite some time after that to rebuild relationships, to rebuild our power and our impact in the world.
VAUSE: It was also obvious to everybody out there that Donald Trump was undercutting his secretary of state. The White House spokesperson, Sarah Sanders, tried to explain how that was not an example of the president undercutting Rex Tillerson. Here's what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What is your response to those who say the president undercuts the secretary of state?
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think the premise of that question in absolutely ridiculous. The president can't undercut his own cabinet. The president is the leader of the cabinet. He sets the tone and agenda. I think that question makes no sense because of that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You know what else that makes no sense? Her answer. Could you figure out what she was saying?
PSAKI: I don't understand what she was saying, to be honest. She was probably in a pretty difficult position, trying to explain that. Yes, Trump is the leader of the United States, and, yes, he does lead the cabinet. But I will tell you that the general feeling by members of both parties, by many who have worked in foreign policy for many years, is that Rex Tillerson, Jim Mattis, others in the national security part of the cabinet, who are -- who Trump is overseeing, are the keeping the security of our country together, are keeping our nation afloat, not President Trump. There's a reversal of sorts that's happening right now that certainly wouldn't be reflected in the answer of the White House press secretary, but is the reality.
VAUSE: Yes. You look beyond the issue of North Korea as well, Trump and Tillerson are at odds over the divided crisis in the gulf, over odds with the Iran nuclear deal. And that started when Tillerson distanced himself from the president's controversial comment about the violence in Charlottesville.
And this is what Tillerson told FOX News about the president's comments about Charlottesville.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REX TILLERSON, SECRETARY OF STATE: I don't believe anyone doubts the American people's values or the commitment of the American government or the government's agencies to advancing those values and defending those values.
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX HOST: And the president's value?
TILLERSON: The president speaks for himself, Chris.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: That's the problem, because Tillerson's job is literally to speak for the president, right?
PSAKI: Literally.
VAUSE: That messes up everything that is going on.
PSAKI: It certainly does. There's a "Game of Thrones"-type of situation going on with the cabinet, with officials in the White House. Look, I think there are a lot of things that Secretary Tillerson has said over recent months that are sane and much more in line with the main stream, having nothing to do with partisan politics, than many of the things that President Trump has said. So in many ways, he's right. But I think the challenge here is that it's difficult for him to be the chief diplomat for the United States when there are serious questions about whether he has the confidence and the ear of the person who is leading the country.
VAUSE: OK. So, keeping that in mind, how soon before we see a Rex- it, Rex Tillerson leaving?
(LAUGHTER)
PSAKI: That's a good term.
VAUSE: Thank you.
PSAKI: My bet -- there's a lot bets going on about this in Washington right now. My get is he's ok for the short term, because John Kelly and others in the White House are probably advising Trump that it would be very bad for him, which is what he cares about, to ha a lot turnover on his national security team right now, especially with North Korea, a pending decision on Iran. But I would also bet that we start to hear rumblings of Trump and his team in the White House talking to other candidates for the job. I don't think that would be a surprise.
VAUSE: And another one bites the dust possibly.
PSAKI: We'll see.
VAUSE: Jen, thanks so much.
PSAKI: Thank you
SESAY: She laughed at your Rex-it.
VAUSE: Rex-it.
SESAY: She did.
VAUSE: Yes.
[01:49:50] SESAY: Next up, after more than three decades, "Blade Runner" 2049 hits cinemas this weekend. We'll have a sneak peek, after the break. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRISON FORD, ACTOR: I had your job once. I was good at it.
What do you want?
KEVIN GOSLING, ACTOR: I want to ask you some questions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: Well, that's the scene from the new film ""Blade Runner" 2049."
VAUSE: That's Harrison Ford, right?
SESAY: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
SESAY: I'll help you out there.
The original movie hit the box office 35 years ago, and now the sci-fi classic is getting a Hollywood sequel.
VAUSE: Don't call it a reboot.
SESAY: It's released by Warner Brothers, part of our parent company, Time Warner.
VAUSE: "Variety's" international film critic, Peter Debruge, joins us here in Los Angeles.
Peter, thank you for coming in.
SESAY: Welcome, Peter.
VAUSE: OK So it seems like the common perception to this movie is that visually stunning, but really way too long, two hours and 43 minus, including 11 minutes of credits?
PETER DEBRUGE, INTERNATIONAL FILM CRITIC, VARIETY: Length isn't necessarily a problem with movies, but this is a slow movie, and that's what audiences need to be prepared for. It's the thing that makes this movie exceptional. It earns every second of its running time. It goes deep and deals with big issues and ideas. And it lets the whole movie breathe. It's not like a 2:44 "Transformers" movie that is a non-stop assault.
VAUSE: Does it pass the test?
(CROSSTAKL)
DEBRUGE: Right.
VAUSE: Does it's better than the small bladder test?
DEBRUGE: It's better than the small bladder test.
(CROSSTALK)
SESAY: Let's go to the fact that original director is not directing this. He's an executive producer. There were scheduling issues. He brought in another director. How did he do?
DEBRUGE: So he's the Canadian director of a rival, "Prisoners." This is a director who comes out of kind of an art film background, and has sort of taken over directing, arranging and director these blockbusters. This movie owes more to someone like Andre Truskowski (ph), who did a movie almost as long, called "Stalker." It's this long Russian sci-fi movie than it does to say Riddley Scott. That sounds like your cup of tea. This is the movie for you. It's not necessarily like the obvious blockbuster.
SESAY: You talk about it, but visually, the original film was so visually arresting. How is this?
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: The original was 30 years ago.
SESAY: Thirty-five. Thank you.
Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Here we go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SESAY: I fell asleep during it.
VAUSE: Creepy and sleepy.
SESAY: The first one.
VAUSE: Any way.
SESAY: So compared to that, we see that -- we know the original is bleak, this pouring rain, you know, in terms of the landscape, and just now it creates a whole new genre from its look. Do we do that with the second one?
[01:55:04] DEBRUGE: You're not reinventing but you're continuing on this idea. It was a revolutionary movie. This movie was kind of a failure in 1982 when it first came out, but it found an audience and became a celebrated landmark film because of the way it merged sci-fi and film noir. It reinvented L.A. with landmarks like the Bradbury Building, you know, places that we knew. And then it superimposed Hong Kong in this futuristic, overpopulated and dark universe. This is taking that whole kind of whole world and thrown it 30 years into the future. You know -
(CROSSTALK)
DEBRUGE: We'll both right. And it continues sort of what this would look like in 30 years, and it does it in a way that this is shot by Roger Deacons, the third movie that the director and he have done together. It is one of the most gorgeous movies you will ever see.
VAUSE: Obviously, the big issue for you is the box office. How much is it going to make, s or more like "Mad Max," which is a reboot. And "My Little Pony" is opening as well for?
DEBRUGE: With everything that is in the news, I almost feel like I should go to "My Little Pony." But this movie will stand the test of time. And I think there's a curious thing here. The first movie is a cult hit, but it became -- it created a brand or a franchise. So many people are going back watching for the first time, as homework for this. And I don't think you need to. As we know, Harrison Ford comes back. Everything about this movie is a spoiler. He's in it. He wanted to in it.
SESAY: And we're almost out of time, but how are they on screen together, Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling, too of my favorite men in a move?
DEBRUGE: They're two handsome devils.
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
DEBRUGE: This is something interesting, is the big mystery of the original is whether Harrison Ford's character is a replicant or not. We know from square one in this movie that Ryan Gosling is a replicant.
(CROSSTALK)
DEBRUGE: And there's just two modes of Ryan Gosling. There's the sexy handsome devil and then there's robot mode.
VAUSE: Robot mode. Time to go.
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
VAUSE: I'm john Vause.
SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay.
VAUSE: We're out of here.
(CROSSTALK)
VAUSE: OK, thank you. SESAY: We'll be back RIGHT after the break. Stay with us.
